Sliding-door latch.



PATENTED JAN; l, 1907.

R. CAMPBELL. SLIDING DOOR LATCH APPLIUATIQN FILED 1330.6. 1904,

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT CAMPBELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HUGO TOLLNER, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

SLIDING-DOOR LATCH Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

To all whom. t may concern: Y

Be it known that I, ROBERT CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements 4in Sliding-Door Latches,of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to latches, having particularly in view anautomatic latching device for the heavy metallic sliding hatchway-doorsof elevator-shafts. As is well known, these doors are designed to beopened and closed -i'rom the inside ofthe shaft only by the operator ofthe elevator-car. In modern buildings great effort is made to economizetime in conveying passengers to and from the various floors, and thehatchway-doors, particularly for passenger-elevators, While generally ofheavy metal construction, should be capable of quick movement with theleast manual effort in opening and closing. Such doors should be andinvariably are self-latching, and obviously the action of the latchingdevice should be absolutely positive and dependable. Furthermore, thelatch-rod or other releasing device should be within easy reach of theoperator of the car and capable of easy and speedy manipulation. T amaware of the eX- istence of many forms of latching devices for doors ofthis class, the majority ofwhich on j account of the desirability ofsimplicity and cheapness are what are known as j gravitylatches, inwhich a pivot-latch bolt is raised by the beveled catch on thedoor-iframe and drops by its own Weight back'oi said catch, saidlatch-bolt being provided with a handle whereby the same may be' raisedby the operator to release the door Jfor opening when desired. Whilepossibly the acme of Simplicity of construction, gravity-latches havebeen found to be objectionable on account of the facts that they are notabsolutely positive in operation; in that the momentum of the movingdoor is ofttimes insuiiicient to eect positive engagement and thelatchbolt is likely to be and often is dislodged after engagement by theforce of the impact between door and Jrame in closing; .that both of thecooperating elements constituting the latch cannot be completelyinclosed, and

' thus insure against one or the other accidentally catchingA thegarment of a passenger; are noisy in operation; ordinarily necessitate achange 1n direction of the application of force to first unlatch andthen open the door, and must be more or less heavy and cumbersome inorder that there may be sulicient weight to' make the force of gravitysuiiicient to insure the completionV of the latching operation. j Y

The primary object of the present invention is positiveness ordependability of operation, secondly, ease of manipulation by theoperator oi the car, and, incidentally, simplicity and durability inconstruction with consequent economy in cost of manufacture andsubsequent maintenance.

With the above and other ends in view my invention consists, generally,of a shell or casing adapted to be attached to a door, a keeper adaptedto be attached to the doorirame, latching-bars supported in said casingto have pivotal and longitudinal movement therein and having hooks ontheir outer ends adapted to engage the keeper when said hooked ends areprojected beyond the casing, manually-operated means for impartingpivotal and longitudinal movement to said latch-bars to cause theirhooked ends to disengage the keeper and move into said casing, andautomatically-operating means for causing said hooked ends to move outof the casing and engage the keeper.

Myinvention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, and in whchv Figure 1 is a view oi latching device embodying my invention, theiront plate 0i the casing having been removed. Fig. 2 is a similar viewwith the working parts in a dif- Jferent position of adjustment.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, my invention contemplates theusual coperating members, one stationary and suitably aiiiXed or securedto the door-frame and the other suitably mounted upon the movable door.I prefer to inclose the operative parts of my latch within a shell orcasing comprlsv IOS of. Each of these bars is provided with an elongatedslot and 10, at or near the middle thereof, coperating with the studs 11and 11, respectively, mounted upon vthe plate 6 to permit of bothpivotal and'limited longitudinal movement of said members. When inOperative position, these latch rods or bars 8 and 8 project through asuitable aperture 12 in said cas'mg, as shown in Fig. 1, in whichposition the relative location'of the slots and pins is such as topermit of movement of said rods or bars to withdraw the same into saidshell or casing. Upon one side of each of said bars is a transversechannel or depression, (indicated, repectively, by 13 and 13,) and pins14 and 14 project from the respective bars. j

I prefer that each of the bars 8 and 8 should be spring-pressed to itsoperative position, and to this end, therefore, I provide springs 15 and15, cooperating with abutments 16 and 16, and pins 17 and 17, mount-l edupon the plate 6 to respectively act against one end of each of saidbars and provide yielding pressure against a spreading actionhereinafter described.

It is obviously immaterial, so far as the present invention isconcerned, what manner of seats are provided for the latch-hooks. Iprefer, however, to provide a keeper for the hooks 9 and 9 in a hollowshell 18 of any suitable configuration and adapted to be secured in anysuitable manner to the door-frame. This shell is provided with anaperture 19 of a size to coperate with the beveled or curved sides 20and 20 of the hooks 9 and 9, respectively, to effect automatic latchinga ainst the yielding pressures in a common an wellknown manner.

The operating member comprises \a substantially flat bar 21, slidablethrough a suitable aperture 22 in the casing and which may obviously beof any desired length. The eX- terior extremity of said bar ispreferably bent to provide or otherwise suitably provided With a handle23, adapted to be easily grasped by the operator for the purpose ofsliding said bar longitudinally for a limited distance through saidaperture. The interior extremityof this member 21 is provided with athickened portion 24, tapering to a point 25., and thus providing a pairof oppositely-inclined tracks or ways 26 26. This member 21 is furtherprovided with a pair of pins 27 27, projecting, respectively, into thechannels or depressions 13 and 13 in the bars 8 8. These pins throughengagement with the shoulders formed by said channels or depressionstransmit longitudinal movement to the bars 8 and 8 from the member 21.The relative location of said pins 27 27 with reference to said channelsor depressions is such that kthere is a slight initial movement of saidmember 21 prior to the engagement ladapted to effect longitudinal dinalmovement of said bars. IThis spreading apart of the inner ends of themembers 8 and 8 effects, through the pins 11 and 11, a pivotal movementof said bars, which serves to withdraw'the hooks 9 and 9 at the endsthereof from their respective seats. At this point engagement iseffected between the pins 27 27 and one of the sides of the respectivechannels or depressions 13 and 13 in the bars 8 and 8, resulting in alongitudinal movement of said bars with said member 21, thereby causingthe withdrawalof the hooks 9 and 9 within said casing. There' willtherefore remain no sharp projections to catch or engage the garments ofpassengers who may pass in and out of the open or partially-opened door.The lugs 28 and 28 will serve to keep the inner ends ofthe bars 8 and 8spread apart,

In order to effect automatic latching upon the closing of the door, Iprovide the stationary member 1,8 with a projection 38, adapted toimpinge against the end 29 ofa bar 30, which is mounted between theplates 5 and 6 to have a limited longitudinal sliding movement guided bya lug 31 on the plate 6. Suitably pivoted upon the plate 6 at 32 is arock-lever 33, having a pin 34 at one end thereof interposed betweenteeth 35 and 36, projecting from one side of the bar 30, whereby uponlongitudinal movement of said bar the end of said lever will movetherewith. The 'other end of the lever 33 is adapted, preferably'throughan enlarged head 36 to IOO enga e one or both of the pins 37 and 37, l

suita ly mounted upon the bars 8 and 8, respectively.

It Will be apparent that as the door is closed and just prior tocomplete closure engagement will be effected between the projection 38and the end of the sliding bar 30, operating, through the lever 33, tocarry the bars 8 and 8 bodily out into their latching position, thesprings 15 and 15 operating to complete the latching action as the innerends of said bars move off the lugs 28 and 28.

Many modifications of the minor details of my improved latching devicewill doubtless readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art towhich it appertains, and I therefore do not desire to limit my inventionto the specific construction herein shown and described. Havingdescribed my invention, I claim- 1. In latches for sliding doors, thecombination of a casing adapted to be connected to a door, twolatch-bars supported in said casing to have pivotal and longitudinalmovement, said latch-bars having hooks at their outer ends adapted toengage a keeper when said outer ends are projected beyond the casing,manuallyoperated means for imparting a pivotal motion to said latch-barsto disengage them from the keeper and subsequently to move themlongitudinally within the casing, and means automatically operated uponclosing the door for returning said latch-bars to'latching position.

2. In latches for sliding doors, the combination of a casing adapted tobe connected to a door, two latch-bars supported in said casing to havepivotal and longitudinal movement, said latch-bars having hooks at theirouter ends adapted to engage a keeper when the said outer ends areprojected beyond the' casing, springs engaging the inner ends of saidlatch-bars and normally holding their outer ends apart,manually-operated means for first spreading the inner ends of said barsapart and then moving said bars longitudinally to bring the hooked endswithin the casing, and means automatically operated upon closing thevdoor for returning said latch-bars to latching position.

3.' In latches for sliding doors, the combination of a Acasing adaptedto be connected to a door, two latch-bars having hooks at theirouter-ends for engaging a keeper, means-for supporting said latch-barsin the casing and permit them to have pivotal and longitudinal movement,springs engaging the inner ends of said bars and normally holding theirouter ends apart in latching position, a slidable bar for manualoperation, means carried by said slidable bar for spreading the inner'ends of the latch-bars apartand thereby disengagngv the hooked ends fromsaid keeper, and means carried by said slidable bar for moving saidlatch bars longitudinally to bring said hooked ends within the casing,and said casgong having openings for the passage of said ars.

4. In latches for sliding doors, the combination of a casing adapted tobe connected to a door, two latch-bars having hooks at their outer endsfor engaging a keeper, and slots intermediate their ends, lixed pinswithin the casing extending through said slots, springs engaging theinner ends of said bars and normally holding their outer ends apart, aslidable bar for manual operation, means carried by said slidable barfor spreading the inner ends of the latch-bars apart and causing theouter ends to approach each other, and means carried by said sliding barfor moving said latch-bars'longitudinally to bring said hooked endswithin the casing, and said casibng having openings for the passage ofsaid ars.

5.v In latches for sliding doors, the combination of a casing adapted tobe connected to 'a door, two latch-bars having hooks at their outer endsfor engaging a keeper, and slots intermediate their ends, fixed pinswithin the casing extending through said slots, springs engaging theinner ends of said bars and normally holding their outer ends apart, aslidable bar supported in said casing and having .oppositely-inclinedsurfaces i thereon, pins projecting from said bars in position to beengaged by said inclined surfaces when the slidable' bar is movedAlongitudinally, and means carried by said slidable bar for engaging saidlatch-bars and moving them longitudinally after said inclined surfaceshave acted upon said pins.

In testimony of the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand in thepresence of two witl'lGSSGS.

' ROBERT CAMPBELL. Witnesses:

H-Ueo TOLLNER, Jr., SAMUEL MCMILLAN.

